May 20, 2008 04:13 pm
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By Matt Smith
msmith@trcle.com
A visit to San Angelo to attend a convention inspired an idea Cleburne resident Maxine Ammons said she hopes to import to Cleburne.
“I was so inspired by what they had done with their alleys downtown, and it gave me the idea that it could work in downtown Cleburne,” Ammons said.
The idea, said Ammons, past president of the Downtown Cleburne Association, is to install an alley gallery, or art alley in downtown Cleburne, similar to Paint Brush Alley and other installations in San Angelo.
Details of the idea, including the location, remain to be determined, said Charles Wells, DCA president.
“We looked at what they did and thought it would be worth emulating here,” Wells said. “Another thing downtown to get people to spend time and look around here that would add color and interest to the city.”
The DCA plans to present the plan to the Cleburne City Council and to business owners whose buildings would be used, Wells said.
“From the city, we’d like any help we could get,” Ammons said. “And, if not that, to get them to maybe move some dumpsters and help clean up the alley we use.”
The DCA, which began in 1966, operates primarily on donations, Springfest being their main fundraising event, Wells said.
The art alley should cost about $2,000, he said.
Ideas include wall murals or frames to hold donated artworks, which could periodically be changed out, Wells said.
“Sort of, if you remember, when they placed paintings on the fence around the old courthouse while it was being renovated,” Ammons said.
DCA members hope to work with the Johnson County Art Guild and other area artists, including students, to supply artwork, Wells said.
Cleburne Councilman Bob Force said he is unfamiliar with the idea, but intrigued.
“It sounds like something that, if it’s done correctly, could be an asset to the city,” Force said.
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